If we set out to drive across Texas, we are in for quite a journey. It is a very large state. But, perhaps the greatest journey ever described was the journey that Israel took from Egypt to the promised land. They followed a pillar of cloud by day and a tower of fire by night. It was a difficult journey. The Israelites had to trust one man: Moses. From Egypt to Canaan was only about 300 miles in a straight line. There were perhaps 3 million people on this journey along with their livestock. It was so large that the line of people could have been continuous from Egypt to Canaan. But, God did not take them in a straight line. Because of disobedience, God took them on a 40-year journey through the wilderness. God’s path is not always in a straight line. Our journey in life is not straight. Sometimes this journey causes us to ask God why? Why was there sickness and heartache? He did not promise that the journey would be easy, but He did promise that He would never leave or forsake us.

In our text, Elijah was on the run in fear of his life. He is asleep and wakes up to find a meal to refresh him. God encourages him to continue the journey, but Elijah is afraid and goes back to sleep. God wakes him again and this time there was meat and water. The bible says that Elijah went on the strength of that meal for 40 days and 40 nights. The journey gets long, the opportunity is before us. We are blessed with great preaching in this church. Those messages do not have an expiration date. The meat that God providesin these messages, will sustain us on our journey. During the journey, there are mountains and valleys. There are blessings and surprises. We do not like the surprises, but God provides what we need to live through the surprises. God provides, but we must reach out and take hold of it.